Bethany Beach, Delaware, August 17, 2014

★★★★ Blue gaps opened
in the cloud cover. The little glimpse of ocean off through the
pines was gray. The sun burned through on the way to the farmer’s
market, making the walk back bright and hot enough for the children
to complain about. Out on the beach, the waves spread cool air as
they broke. Now the water was the green of good olives, and where
it broke it was the green that appears now in late-rmodel cars. The
swells were gentle, though people still swarmed the water with
their artificial floating planks, sub-surfboards, as if some
excitement might happen. A wind roared over wet ears on the way
back up onto the shore, and a gust uprooted the beach umbrella and
flung it five or ten yards, where it hit a stranger from behind.
Inland, crape myrtles were in bloom on the supermarket lot. Even on
the barren asphalt, the heat was less than painful. A gray cloud
moving through the blue released a drop or three of rain as the
grill smoked and fought to get going. The wind kept the smoke
moving to every quarter. The clouds drifted briskly. A pile of them
out to sea began to turn purple and gold.